


Some Fairytales Have Happy Endings

by Mariabella Baggins (AgentFrostbite)



Series: The Dragon Riders of Middle Earth [12]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Bella and Thorin finally get to kiss, Bella is one of the best storytellers, F/M, Female Bilbo Baggins, Hobbits are great storytellers, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN AS EXCITED FOR THE KISS AS I HAVE, Kids are so cute, Literally neither of these dorks can ever do anything low-key or without drama, Long awaited reunions, True Love, True Love's Kiss, and here it is, and very preceptive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:07:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25748632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentFrostbite/pseuds/Mariabella%20Baggins
Summary: It's been one year and three months since Bella and the delegation left Erebor teetering on the edge of civil war. One year and three months since Bella said goodbye to the only man she will ever love. One year and three months, but she's a patient woman. She'll wait for him for the rest of her days, if so required. But there's little time to reminisce; it's story time for the kids and Bella's not the kind of woman to keep them waiting.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Series: The Dragon Riders of Middle Earth [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1341334
Comments: 4
Kudos: 66
Collections: Just.... So cute..., One Two Switcheroo





	Some Fairytales Have Happy Endings

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here we are. The final chapter. The last note in the (initial) story of our star-crossed rulers. This has been SUCH a pleasure to write, and I am so thrilled to have taken this journey with you all. I hope you enjoy them FINALLY getting to kiss like they deserve as much as I do.
> 
> Enjoy, and happy writing!

Bella Baggins wouldn't say she was lonely. Far from it, actually – since coming back from Erebor, everyone wanted a slice of her time. From the gossiping ladies only a few years older than her, to the eager scholars who were itching to know more about the heavily guarded Dwarven culture; from the relatives who wanted to know why she was suddenly somber as though she'd lost a husband, to the kids who gathered for story time every Thursday afternoon. The kids were her favorite to interact with, because they were so bright-eyed and inquisitive, so full of light and joy, and they only _rarely_ had any ulterior motive for asking the questions they did.

She'd always wanted kids. She'd just never found the right partner.

She'd been back to the East many times in the year and three months following the secret flight from Erebor, but she concerned herself with things in her kingdom, and the only time she dealt with matters concerning Dwarves was to field questions about why Phira had left, what the Orossi's grudge against the Dwarves was, the state of affairs between Farasail and Erebor, and so on. She heard nothing from the kingdom the entire time, and while she squirmed under the silence, she stayed true to her promise.

What she'd told Thorin was "You come find me, and I'll come back." What she implied was "I'll wait for you."

And she would. By Yavanna, she would wait for Thorin until the day she died.

Summer faded into autumn, and the forest gained delicate touches of color. A few red leaves here, a handful of purplish ones there, a brilliant gold maple standing in a smattering of still-green oaks. The migratory fall Sunchasers came to their roosts, their arrival marking the start of preparations for the Fall Festival. The last of the corn crops were being brought to market, and the first pumpkins showed up in the stalls. Mothers dragged their fauntlings through the travelling caravan from the East – which lacked most of their Dwarven participants, Bella noted with disappointment – and the Hackatoo Brigade flew into the woods to cut down trees for firewood for the upcoming winter.

Bella's schedule remained rather unchanged with the turning over of seasons. Her classes switched out, but the curriculum stayed the same. There were always papers to grade, homework to create, assignments to dole out, so on and so forth. No trouble came to the Shire, and no-one from the Shire went out and found trouble, so there was practically nothing to do in regards to her reservist position as a Shire Protector. Even the political intrigues, as mild as they always were in a place where the only 'caste system' was how Respectable people were, were particularly thin around the fall.

No, if Bella wanted change, it would need to be found in the fauntlings who begged for stories, whom she happily obliged as she sat beneath an old maple. Sometimes they asked for historical tales, like how Hobbits came to tame dragons or the grand escapades of great Elven kings and brave Human heroes; sometimes they asked for fairytales with princes and princesses, rundown castles and perilous chases; and sometimes, they asked to hear about Bella's own adventures.

The Nadder story was now a favorite. She ended up telling that one at least once a month. Paula Chubb's littlest son, Clovis, was a boy who constantly fought off one illness or another. Despite his somewhat shaky health, he never missed a story day. He was one of the first to show up and one of the last to leave, and Bella was seriously considering taking him up to Rivendell, just to see if there was anything Elrond could do for the lad. The Nadder story was his absolute favorite, and she could never say no to him.

"Well, let's see. This would've been just a bit over a year ago, in the summer. The committee had decided to open a trade deal with the great Dwarvish kingdom of Erebor. It lies far, far to the East, over rivers and ranges, nestled in the Lonely Mountain. Not long after they arrived, strange things began happening. Dragons got loose from pens, equipment went missing, only to be deposited in meeting rooms, and some mischievous dragons even tried to make friends with the Dwarves. Now, Dwarves don't like dragons like we do, so when those friendly dragons jumped out and wanted to play, the Dwarves thought they were being attacked."

"Why don't they get along?" Azalea Baggins, a distant cousin at least twice removed, asked lightly. She was young, only five, but she had a knack for asking questions that required truthful, complete, and honest answers. Bella looked forward to seeing what she chose to do with her life.

"Dragons are still wild animals, and when you don't know how to act around a wild animal, oftentimes you frighten it. When they're frightened, they attack you. And when something attacks someone and it seems unprovoked, people attack back. The Dwarves just haven't learned this yet," Bella explained patiently.

Most of the kids were a little confused still, and that was to be expected, really. All they'd known, all their lives, was how kind and gentle dragons were. All they knew was loyalty and love. There were a couple, though, like Azalea and Clovis, who understood, and they nodded gravely.

"It was the…fifth day, and we were discussing certain aspects of the treaty over Dinner. Suddenly, out of nowhere, this Deadly Nadder swooped in through one open window and snatched up the Crown Prince. The Nadder flew out the other window, quick as a flash. Our dragons were sleeping beneath the window outside, and though everyone said it was 'in case of emergencies,' every Hobbit knew it was because we all missed them and wanted them nearby. I was the first one to jump up, and I ran to the window. Then I leapt out," Bella paused for the fauntlings' gasps, "mounted Twilight, and soared off into the sky. We caught up with them very quick and managed to catch the Prince as the Nadder dropped him-"

"That's not how I remember it."

Bella froze at the familiar baritone.

It couldn't be him. It couldn't be. But slowly, slowly, she lifted her eyes beyond the group of confused kids and locked gazes with him. She gasped quietly, unable to muster anything more, for the complete and unexpected shock of seeing _Thorin_ standing there, arrayed in traveler's clothes, and looking back at her with relief and indescribable fondness.

Bella gawped like a beached fish for a few moments before gathering her wits and replying, "And how do you remember it?"

"I remember being blasted out of the Nadder's grasp, and a joyride afterwards," he answered.

Bella stood, moving as though she were in a dream. Several of the children scooted aside to create a pathway from her to him, and a couple of them giggled like they always did at weddings, after the bouquet toss. Thorin took a few steps forward, then stopped at the beginning of the crowd.

What a sight they must've been, this stoic Dwarven Prince – perhaps King – and the most unshakeable spinster lady of the Shire, staring at each other precisely like Bella always described in her fairytales.

"Well," Bella amended, "perhaps I have been leaving a few parts out. Only because you were screaming quite loudly, and it isn't very dignified of a prince to shout like a startled tween."

"In my defense, it was the first time I'd been so far above the ground. You can't fault me for that."

"I suppose I can't."

Bella walked forward a few steps, and now they were a mere four feet apart. Four feet, after fifteen months of silence. Her gaze skated over him, looking for anything new, anything missing, to make sure he was alright. He did the same for her, and she watched his shoulders drop in relief when he found her left hand devoid of jewelry. Their eyes met again, and she was as breathless as she had been when she dismounted after that summer flight, so long ago.

"Are you going to finish the story?" he asked softly, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"The Prince graciously invited us to his home to finish the treaty, and along the way, we found the culprit, stopped them, and broke a very old curse. It was a lovely adventure."

"Did they live happily ever after?" Clovis asked slyly.

"Yes," Thorin answered, stepping in and taking her hands. "I think they did."

Bella leaned in and finally kissed him.


End file.
